Question for Europeans: Smuggling Food (1 Viewer)

[Scott]

I have seen a number of cartoons from the 1800s of police stopping women who were smuggling items of food in the clothing, baskets, and even baby carriages. Was there some laws about bringing food into cities back then and was it so common to do so that cartoons were drawn about it? The images don't seem to show war time.

 

[thebritfarmer]

I don't know if it has any thing to do with smuggling. Perhaps more with theft??

 

[trooper]

Is there a date on the magazine? It might possibly have something to do with the Siege of Paris in 1870, food was so scarce that they even ate the animals in the zoo and it is conceivable that there was a black market in edibles.

 

[Rob]

It reminds me of my first trip to Arizona when I was a young boy.On going through customs the American official asked my dad if he had any food items in our baggage.On replying 'no officer',I piped up 'What about that Christmas pudding Grandma made for us to bring'!!.The very understanding official said to my dad 'I didn't hear that did I sir'?!!

Rob

 

[theBaron]

Those cartoons don't appear to have anything to do with smuggling because of famine; it looks more like someone smuggling wine or champagne, and I suspect that that might have been to avoid taxes of some kind.

In Prussia towards the end of Frederick the Great's reign, practically every commodity was taxed and sold through state-approved vendors, including coffee. A black market arose in green coffee beans, which the buyers had to roast for themselves. Excise officials were tasked with sniffing them out, literally. They would patrol the streets in cities like Berlin, sniffing for the scent of coffee beans roasting. And in the slang of the day, they were called "coffee snifflers".

One more reason to be wary of the state.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Scott]

The tax or tariff explanation may be it. I have seen some cartoons from up to the 1890s that I can't post because of exposed nudity of the smuggler.
I have a couple of American Civil War smuggler cartoons and stories but I know what they are about.

 

[Scott]

Is there a date on the magazine? It might possibly have something to do with the Siege of Paris in 1870, food was so scarce that they even ate the animals in the zoo and it is conceivable that there was a black market in edibles.

Maybe but the cartoons either predate 1870 or don't reference famine or war.

 

[Grognard]

Yes, it has to do with taxes. I looked at one of the pictures' text in French: "De l'utilité de la crinoline pour frauder l'octroi" which means something like "How to use your underdress to hide things to avoid city taxes".
"L'octroi" was a French city tax on goods that were entering a city. The city where I am born in France still has its 2 "Octroi" small buildings located at the old city limits/one end of the main bridge leading to downtown.

 

[Scott]

Thanks. Funny, we were watching the old Tale of Two Cities film with Ronald Coleman last night and there was an "Octroi" building as you described in it.

 

[Grognard]

Yep, people were very already very imaginative on inventing taxes in those days on anything that people were consuming (nothing new here ). In France in the 17th century there was even a tax on salt (La gabelle).

 

[Scott]

From POPEYE 1980

The Tax Man: You just docked?
Popeye: I has.
The Tax Man: Ah ha, let's see here, that'll be 25¢ docking tax.
Popeye: What for?
The Tax Man: Where's your sea craft?
Popeye: It ain't no sea craft, it's me dinghy and it's under the wharf.
The Tax Man: Ah ha. ahh-ha. This your goods?
Popeye: They is.
The Tax Man: Yeah. You're new in town right?
Popeye: If you call this a town, yes.
The Tax Man: Well, first of all, there's 17¢ new-in-town tax, and there's 45¢ rowboat-under-the-wharf tax, and one dollar leaving-your-junk-lying-around-the-wharf tax, so all together, you owe the Commodore $1.87.
Popeye: Uh, who's this Commodore?
The Tax Man: Is that the nature of question? There's a nickel question tax.

.............

The Tax Man: You're not up to no good are you? Because if you are there's a 25¢ up to no good tax.